Chinese researchers propose an 800-seat flying-wing airliner

Chinese aerospace researchers have outlined a commercial aircraft concept that would look radically different from today’s passenger jets: an approximately 800-seat flying wing with no distinct fuselage, wings and tail. The design was developed by the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre and detailed in a peer-reviewed paper published in June by the Journal of Aerospace Power, according to New Atlas, which cited reporting from the South China Morning Post. The proposed aircraft would be about 85 meters (280 feet) wide and 43 meters (141 feet) long. Its span would be roughly 1.6 times that of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, another aircraft built around a flying-wing configuration. Rather than simply enlarging an existing commercial-airliner layout, the concept integrates the aircraft’s body and lifting surfaces into one structure. The researchers believe that arrangement could improve aerodynamic performance while creating room for substantially more passengers than the Airbus A380, which entered service more than 20 years ago. The paper’s authors, including aerodynamics scientist Li Yonghong, described the high-aspect-ratio flying wing as having aerodynamic advantages. New Atlas reported that the researchers associate the configuration with a higher lift-to-drag ratio and reduced induced drag, characteristics that could potentially support longer range and lower energy consumption. Those benefits remain projections from the proposed design, not results from an operating commercial aircraft. The concept has not been given an official name, and no timeline for its development or construction was provided. China is also working on less radical commercial-aircraft projects. Among them is the C929, a planned 280-seat long-range widebody jet that Chinese media reports say is expected to launch by 2030. For now, the 800-passenger flying wing remains a research concept. Whether such a large, integrated aircraft can be developed and placed into commercial service has not been established.